Trials of the Heart
by GuardianSaint
Summary: Two lionesses leave their old pride in search for a better life. Now knowing what faith had in stored for their cubs. Go on a journey full of triumph, sorrow, love and grief. Along with Aden, Chumvi's younger twin brother and Kovu's father.
1. Sandstorm

**Welcome fellow readers and writers to Trials of the Heart. I was going through a story of mine when I got this idea. So without further ado, here's the first chapter. Enjoy and remember to leave a review. Thank you.**

They had to get away. Their old home wasn't a home anymore. The father and son that took over was unbearable, even when they killed her father and impregnated the lionesses, her included. Now she was travelling with a friend who was returning to her birth pride. The light cream lioness walking ahead looked over her shoulder with concern in her green eyes.

"You okay, Cala?"

A dull brown lioness nodded, because honestly she wasn't okay. She was pregnant with her siblings' murderer cub. How can she be okay? Cala shook her head to clear her thoughts before continuing walking. It wasn't going to do none of them good, travelling through the dessert longer than necessary. The light cream lioness frowned before getting into step with her dull brown friend. The journey through the dessert was hot and horrible. The burning sand scorched their already worned paws. After awhile the light cream lioness stopped with a heavy breath.

"Cala! My paws hurt!" the light cream lioness voice her complaint for the hundredth time that day since it was a day and a half since she asked her friend was she okay.

It's been five days since they decided it was time for them to leave; the morning after they made our way to the new pride. She hasn't given Cala much information on their new home yet though except for the fact that she guarantees she's going to love it. She is glad to have her trust even though the last pride they thought was home, was more to the description of a living nightmare than a blissful dream.

Just the light cream lioness forgot to mention that the would have to cross the desert. It's so hot! And dry! They have been walking through this wasteland for most of the day and every step they take feels like it's going to be the last one! Their paws ache from the brutal temperature of the scorching ground beneath them and the light cream lioness could almost hear her saliva sizzle as soon as it escapes from her mouth and hits the sandy ground. The light cream lioness sighed, she could hear her mother now saying, 'How unladylike!'

"I know Alina, but we need to get to a shelter before it gets dark. It's too dangerous to be out here another night." Cala calls as she falls back until they're side by side.

Alina knows that Cala is feeling the heat but the way she's handling, even with a load as well it is truly inspirational. She makes walking through a vast desert look like it's a walk on the beach! She seems to ignore the sun slowly cooking them alive and continues to lead the way gracefully while Alina barely manage to trudge on behind her.

This isn't healthy for them or the cubs. Alina think to herself as a kick from her little one tells her that he or she totally agrees.

That reminds Alina, she haven't even thought about what her baby would turn out to be. Is it a boy or a girl? What she's going to name it? For some reason, she can't imagine what it would look like. Would it take its good looks from her or that useless piece of vulture crap called Auldin? Alina prayed it won't have his cocky and irresponsible personality. The world doesn't deserve another Auldin or his son, Paxton running around thinking it owns the place. Alina vow to raise her son or daughter the right way.

"ALINA!" Cala's scream ripped Alina away from her thoughts. Alina looked up to meet her face and her look of horror and panic frightens her, "WE HAVE TO RUN! NOW!"

Okay now she's pushing it.

"Cala, I can hardly walk in this heat, the same with you and you want us to run?"

"Alina, we have no choice! We need to move NOW!"

Alina was still confused though and this huge gush of wind that came out from nowhere doesn't seem to be helping...Suddenly she aware of her surroundings. The wind has picked up drastically and the sky has gone dark too quickly. Cala's terrified gaze is focus behind her and the light cream lioness dare to take a look. Raging a hundred feet away from them is a huge brown wall of desert sand picked up by the howling wind.

A sand storm.

Alina didn't even have time to stand there in shock because the dull brown lion is frantically pulling her and screaming at her to run. Suddenly, the heat wasn't a problem and they were now sprinting for their lives! Alina looked back and the storm is now hot on their tails which only encourages them to pick up speed as if that was even possible. They're now running so fast, they don't even feel their legs. It's like they were just floating. So this is how it feels like to be a cheetah...

The wind is louder than ever and it drowns out most of Cala's voice but Alina do catch a few words she was saying. Something about 'run faster' and 'shelter' and 'rock'. It doesn't make sense until the light cream lioness look in front of them and spot a pile of rocks in the distance. Cala had gained more speed and is running straight towards it, leaving Alina to put two and two together. She wants to hide behind the rock to get away from the storm. Sprinting faster, the pile of rocks become closer into view... but the faster Alina seem to run, the faster the sand storm seems to chase after them. Alina's legs were aching, her lungs are burning and the light cream lioness' whole body is screaming for her to slow down. The storm has gained speed and it started growling in height too.

Alina almost engulfed in it, the swirling sand scratches, stings, and burns her eyes, but she press on. She has been through too much just to die from a sand storm. Sucking up her pain Alina race towards the rock. It's now right in front of her and she scramble to take shelter behind it. Although it doesn't protect her from the sand hitting her left and right, it does shield her back.

But then Alina realize that Cala wasn't with her. She looked around, desperately trying to spot her but she is nowhere! There is just too much sand flying everywhere and when Alina tried to call her, sand only goes in her mouth. Alina sighed as she had no choice but to wait this one out.

So, curling her light cream body into a fetus shape, Alina closed her exhusted green eyes and prayed that Cala makes it, because Alina seriously have no idea what to do if she doesn't.


	2. Reunited

**I really appreciate the reviews. Thank you for the favourites and follows. I have to admit, that not much diologe. Just a bit of back story. Now here's the next chapter of Trials of the Heart.**

When the wind dies down and the sand storm vanishes as though it never occurred. Everything is peaceful again in the vast desert that Cala was left stranded in and she has no idea where her best friend is!

 _Calm down, Cala. She's fine._

 _But I want to see her just to make sure._

 _Stressing yourself out will only affect the baby!_

The voices inside her head, which her mother once told her was instinct was right. But she has to find Alina! She's knows where this safe pride is. She knows the way out of this dry wasteland. _I NEED her!_

"Alina?" the dull brown lioness called out but there's no reply. Stepping away from the log that shielded her from the missiles of sand, she look around her surroundings. Everything is brown, sandy, and hot! There's not a sign of life here.

Not a sign of life.

No. No no no no! Cala shook her head as she refuse to think like that. Alina is a strong lioness. She was there when Alduin and Paxton killed her father, who was most likely no better than his murderers. The Requiem pride wasn't civilised like most prides, when a new male take over they would kill the cubs of the former male. Like how Paxton and his father killed her younger brother and sister. Thank the stars that she was old enough or she would of been killed. The worst part was that like the other mothers that had their cubs killed by Alduin and Paxton, her mother didn't do a thing. Alina comforted her her when Paxton raped her while her mother smiled. She even fought off Alduin for a while before he finally forced his self. Which is a accomplishment, considering that Alduin is like half the size of a elephant.

A little sand storm can't bring her down. Pfft!

Trying to calm her nerves, Cala took deep breathes before she went to search for the light cream lioness while also heading in the direction they were initially routing. Maybe, if she keep walking, she might find her or the pride they were traveling to.

But as the blazing sun begins to make its way down, so does her hope of ever finding Alina in this sun baked land. It's almost night time, meaning it's going to get real chilly. And the dull brown lioness was not looking forward into running into any nocturnal predators. Cala continued to walk and search for any signs of her best friend, but when the wind picks up and ruffles her fur, causing her to shiver, Cala finally become aware of her environment that she had zoned out of. It's dark and the sun was down leaving the moon and the stars to come out and play in the big, dark blue sky. The wind blows again and Cala has a feeling a second dust storm would be on its way. If she was going to survive this night, she will have to abandon the hunt for Alina and find a place to spend the night. A small kick from her cub was enough to tell Cala that he or she couldn't agree more with her decision.

So Cala continue to pace the desert until she discovered a beautiful oasis. It was much larger than the rainforest that was near her old home but it's good enough for her. There's a large pool of water with a shimmering reflection of the full moon. Cala immediately ran to it and lap up the cool fresh liquid which did wonders for her dry mouth and throat as it quenched her thirst. After finding a large sized bush to sleep under, Cala laid her tired body on the soft grass. She needed to catch as much sleep as possible as she now have two big missions to accomplish tomorrow: Find Alina and find the safe pride.

 _At least pray it's safe._

/

The rays of sunshine awaken Cala from her slumber. Her brown eyes open slowly to adjust to the intense light. It was early morning from what she could tell, but the sun shows no mercy and Cala is forced to get up and stretch. She had a nightmare involving Paxton and the attack, leaving her to take care of thousands of his cubs. It was horrific and she's glad she is only carrying one cub from what she can tell.

Cala could sit here and continue to rub her hard stomach absentminded but she made it her duty to look for her baby's godmother. She refuse to doubt the worse for her and Cala know that she's out there looking for her too. After she found her bearings and taking another long sip of the pool water, Cala headed off to find Alina, ignoring the hot African sun which would only get hotter as the day goes by.

After many miles of walking, walking, and more walking, with a little bit of very unattractive panting. Cala's legs eventually give way and she collapse onto the scorching sand. Her throat is dry again, the air is too humid for comfort, and she desperately needs to find Alina and get out of this place!

But just as she was about to give up hope and probably cry her eyes out in the middle of nowhere, Cala suddenly spot something. It's an animal but it's so small since it's so far away. Finding her strength to get back on her paws, she squint as she tries to make out this figure approaching her. They look wavy due to the mirage and she have to force herself to believe that she's not hallucinating.

 _Could it be?_

 _No, It can't be…right?_

 _But who else could it be?_

 _Yes! It has to be!_

Cala's thoughts were confirmed when she hear the figure calling her name. It's quiet and barely recognizable but she heard it all the same. Cala's frown exchanges into a grin and before she could stop herself, her legs are moving again with new found energy, and she sprint towards the lioness that she thought she had lost forever.

As she got closer, she finally looks like a lioness and she couldn't be happier to see her. The gap between them quickly closes as Cala pounced on her while giving her the biggest squeeze ever. She refuse to let go.

"Cala, I'm so glad you're alive!" Alina exclaims, but her words come out muffled since she's still in Cala's embrace.

"Alina, I missed you so much!" the dull brown lioness muttered and eventually she let her go from her grip when she complains that she couldn't breathe, "Where did you go? How did you survive? Are you hurt?"

"Whoa ,whoa!" She says as her friend bombard her with questions, "One at a time, Cal."

"Sorry, I was just so worried about you!"

"I'm fine bestie, after the dust storm appeared, I had to race to find shelter so I found a small cave and stayed in it. But after I noticed it was occupied by the biggest leopard I've ever seen, I had to brace the storm and find another place but there was nowhere to go."

"So what did you do?" Cala interrogated, completely ignoring the fact that her best friend could have been killed by the leopard.

"I had to lay there in a ball and wait for the storm to pass. It's a good thing it only lasted for a little bit."

Alina continues her story on how she had to crawl out from her little sand grave and search for Cala. After a mile or two, she realized she lost her way and had to go back to find her. Unlike Cala, she stayed up all night looking for her her friend, even though that wasn't the sane thing to do under her condition. At least they were reunited at last.

"But enough about me, how did you manage?" Alina's green eyes inspects the bit younger lioness thoroughly and she circles her, looking for any injuries.

"I took cover behind a rock and-ARGH!"

Cala couldn't finish her sentence because a sharp pain pierced through her abdomen, causing Cala to wince in agony.

"Cala!" Alina cries and she places a paw on the dull brown lioness. "Are you okay?"

"Argh, Yeah… I just… I think all that running made the cub angry." Cala tried to giggle off the pain and reassure Alina who is still wired up with concern.

"Are you sure?" Alina raises her eyebrow skeptically. She wasn't feeling much from the her cub since she wasn't as far along as her friend.

Cala nodded and attempted to walk to prove to her that there's nothing to worry about. Her face slightly softens but Cala could tell she still doesn't believe her. However, Alina knows that Cala is the type of lioness that would try not to make a big deal about a worrying situation like this. Cala is usually a 'tough lil lioness' according to her mother or at least she tries to be. She not as tough as her old friend Neco who left a few months before they did, and she clearly wasn't tough when she broke down and cried for like eternity when mother disowned her for not wanting to live that lifestyle. Cala took a deep breath as she refuse to stress over one sharp pain and she would try her best to show Alina that she has nothing to worry about.

But on the inside she's freaking out! Cala's cub is due this month and she does not plan on giving birth in the middle of the wilderness! Her and Alina's cubs needs a home, and they need the safety and the support of a welcoming pride. So when Alina advises that they need to get to the pride quickly, Cala was quick to oblige.

They were making the journey to the pride Alina is so keen on staying in. Cala felt a few more sharp pains but she forced herself to ignore it and keep moving forward. Instead, she distracted herself by listening to her friend's description of the new territory they would soon be stepping into. Apparently, she has a friend that lives there, who insisted before she left that she and any friend would be welcomed in her pride; just so happens to be the queen of the pride. Alina also said that the pride has had its rough issues but now the new king plans to make things right and fix the balance of life the old king had damaged.

But she wouldn't tell Cala the name of the king.

As Cala think about it, she's following this lioness to a pride which is trying to repair its lands and she have no idea who owns it.

The queen may be welcoming but Cala sure hope the king is as well.


	3. Closure

**All Hail King Scar-Thank you for your review. I appropriate it and I'm glad you would be continuing to read.**

 **Now here's chapter three. Enjoy.**

After another half of day of travelling Cala could tellthey were getting closer when the small grains of sand underneath their paws began to slowly be replaced by soft patches of grass. The terrain is still rocky but at least Cala knows that they're no longer in the desert.

Cala begin to think about this new pride. Will they be any different from her home pride and the others that she heard about? Will they be worse than her home pride where she grew up in where she met the devil himself in the form of Alduin and Paxton? Alina said that the lions and lionesses are really nice here but so was a small pride they stop to rest at before entering the desert. They were nice before they really showed their true ugly colors.

"Alina, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, what if I don't fit in?"

Cala shudder at the memories she is forced to remember of the small pride and her former pride members; the predatory passes the older male lions would give her and the immature, perverted and lustful looks she received from the male lions her and Alina's age. And she can't forget the sneers and petty whispers of the envious and insecure lionesses. Their attempts to drown her in the watering hole still gives her nightmares.

"Cala, you have nothing to worry about. This pride is so much better than the last one and your home pride, I promise you. There are a lot of lions our age in that pride so we'll have friends to hang out with. We won't be alone like you think."

"But Alina, you're forgetting a few major things…" Cala went to remind her friend. Alina rotates her head to the dull brown lioness.

"And what's that?"

Cala stop and plant her butt on the ground then point to her tummy.

"Uh…We're probably going to be the only young moms in the pride."

Alina just shakes her head.

"Cala, don't let that stop you from making friends. Our babies are a gift, not a curse. Remember that."

"We're gonna get judged. A lot." Cala retorted with a scoff.

"What does it matter?" The light cream lioness argues. "So we're going to have a baby at a young age, and we're going to get talked about but who cares?"

"I do!" Cala finally snapped and pretend to be oblivious to the look Alina gave her for raising her voice.

"For nearly my whole life I've had to deal with everyone talking about me behind my back or insult me straight to my face! I've been criticized and even wrongly accused by so many lions in that old pride and in at my house pride. What makes this pride any different?"

"Well, for one," Alina takes a seat and faces Cala, "This pride is in the process of getting their life back together now that their new king has taken the throne so they probably won't pay no mind to us and second of all, from what I've seen and experienced in this pride, I can confidently say that they have something very important that our old pride lacked."

"And what's that?"

"Love."

Alina continues to look at Cala and the dull brown lioness wait for her to continue.

"This pride has been through thick and thin but they still managed to support and never lose hope because they have love and a strong family bond between each and every member. That is why I'm bringing you here so you can experience the atmosphere this pride has to offer. You wanted the best home for your cub right?" Cala nod her head, "Well this pride is the best yet. And besides, This is my birth pride."

 _Say what now?_

Cala furrow her eyebrows in confusion to the last part her friend said.

"Y-your birth pride?" Cala repeated as she search her friend's eyes for answers. "You told me I was born into the Farakano Pride."

Alina shook her head, "I never said that but enough of that. Why don't you look at your new home?"

"What are you-" Alina cuts Cala short by using her paw to turn her head and Cala's jaw drops at the sight before them.

Vast grassland stretches out in front of them, dotted with acacia trees. There are also many wildebeests and zebras grazing here and there on the grass plains, happily mowing the fresh shoots of grass the rains must have helped produced while antelopes leap together in harmony. Over to the right, a river snakes through the land. It looks shallow but I guess it will fill up to its usual volume as time flies. The river also feeds a huge waterhole which Cala knew for sure she won't be spending time swimming in but it looks fresh and it casts a beautiful reflection of the big blue sky up above where birds take flight.

But the most magnificent sight is the huge pile of rocks in the middle of the land. Cala's mouth has literally dropped as she stare at the monument towering over everything in the territory. One rock points its peak to the sky while the other rock points at a vertical angle. It almost looks like a stage.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Alina grins as she takes in the gorgeous landscape in front of them.

"The word 'beautiful' can't even describe this." Cala manage to breathe out. She just can't take her eyes off this scenery of paradise. A warm feeling of excitement suddenly flows through her. If this is where she's going to stay then she don't ever wanna leave.

"Trust me, Cal. You're going to love it."

 _The Pride Lands…Where have I heard that name before?_

"What's that massive pile of stones called?" Cala eye nature's masterpiece in the middle of the land. It looks so majestic.

"That's Pride Rock." Alina smiles. Wow, it even has a majestic name to match its powerful look. "The pride sleeps in there along with the king and queen."

Cala turned her head to face her with wide brown eyes.

"What? The pride sleeps with the royals?"

Alina nods her head and Cala mouth the word "wow" to herself. This pride is so much different than the other prides they been to. Especially the West River pride where the king wouldn't even drink from the same watering hole as the rest of his subjects, further more sleep in the same place with them.

"This pride must be real close." Cala mutter quietly, but Alina heard her.

"Like I said," Alina flashes a wide grin, "They're like a family- especially now that their new king has stepped up. That reminds me… I think it's time you meet him."

But before Cala could ask questions, Alina races down the hill they were standing on. With a shake of her head, Cala followed Alina down the hill, careful not to trip up or else it would be all over for her and her baby. Once she finally make it to Alina, she gives Cala a reassuring nuzzle that everything will be okay and together we head off in the direction of Pride Rock.

As they reach halfway, the huge rock looks even bigger and taller and more intimidating. It really was made for a king. Cala was so distracted by the huge sculpture in front of me, she almost miss the colorful bird which swoops down in front of them, prohibiting us from stepping any further.

"I'm sorry, madam, but you seem to be trespassing." He informs Cala. He's a small blue hornbill with a white underbelly and orange beak. He also has a funny accent which makes him sound very official, prim and proper.

"It's okay, Zazu, she's with me." Alina smiles warmly at the small bird. He turns to her and his face lights up.

"Alina! How lovely it is to see you again!" He then does a double take as he gazes at me, then at my mother, then back at me again, "Is this….?"

Alina nods.

"Yes, Zazu, this is my best friend Cala that I gave word about."

Zazu twirls back to Cala happily. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Cala."

"Thank you, Mr Zazu."

"No need for formalities, Cala. That's my job." He chuckles then stops, "Oh, I see you're both expecting?"

Now if Cala wasn't blushing before she blushed even harder and she attempted to hide her big belly. Cala braced herself for an edgy comment but she got none. Instead he smiles warmly, "Another bundle of joy to celebrate!"

"Zazu, can you take us to Sarabi and my sister? I'm sure she'd love to see me."

"Of course, Alina, it would be my pleasure. Should I inform the king?"

Alina shook her creamy head.

"Oh no not yet. I'll let his mate do that."

The orange beaked bird nods in understanding and takes flight. They follow his lead as he takes them to the base of Pride Rock. As they approach, Cala notice some of the lionesses examine them. They're whispering to each other and that puts Cala on edge. Cala soon realize that although some are discussing the fact that she and Alina are indeed pregnant, they don't show spite or disgust, just curiosity. This calms Cala's nerves just a little bit.

They greet Alina warmly and some swoon over 'how big she's grown' and 'How she look just like her mother'. I even heard one say, 'She is just what the king needs'.

This really gets Cala's brain working on overdrive as she struggle to figure out who this king is!

Cala's thoughts were disrupted however when a lioness a bit older than Alina runs up to them with a huge grin on her muzzle. She has a dark beige coat which is the same colour as Cala's father. Her underbelly is a shade lighter than her coat and she has small lazy eyes with dark orange orbs. They're almost similar to one of the lion eyes she met a long time ago.

"There's my best friend sister and her beautiful friend!" She exclaims as she embraces Alina lovingly, "How was the journey?" My mother answers her and the tawny lioness turns to me and smiles.

She smiles warmly and introduces herself. "My name is Sarabi, Queen of the Pridelands, but please, don't call me 'your highness' and all that, we're family!"

Cala smile sincerely at the older lioness next to her. She is so warm and gentle, every movement she makes is full of grace and she just radiates royalty, but she is so down to earth. And Cala likes her already.

"How long have you and Alina been friends?" Cala was really curious to know.

She smiles and stands next to Alina who rests her head on her Sarabi's shoulders. "Since we were cubs, well since I was teen and she was a cub. I don't even view her as a friend. To me, she's even closer than a sister."

Alina nods in agreement.

Wow, that is what you call real friendship. It must have hurt the both of them to be separated for so long.

The happy atmosphere of reunion continues to linger until Cala notice Sarabi's gaze. Her mouth makes an 'O' shape as she peers down at Cala and Alina.

"Girls…are you expecting?"

Cala's smile falters and the mood changes in her. She drops her head and nod slowly, refusing to meet her eyes. She don't know why she feel ashamed- especially in the presence of a lioness she has never met, but if she is older and the queen, she'll most likely have the same views on adolescent pregnancies most older lionesses.

But just like her encounter with Zazu, she awaited condemnation from the queen who only smiles and nudges Alina, "Faye is going to be a grandmother!"

There was a merry tone in her voice along with a laugh. Cala peek through her lashes to see her smiling at her as well as my Alina.

"I know!" The creamy lioness chirps, "I can't wait to tell Sarafina!" Sarabi laughs.

"I always told Sarafina, you would return with a new member. Looks like you and Cala got your work cut out for you."

"Wait, you're not upset?" Cala questioned the queen who looks confused.

"Why would I be upset, Cala? Although, knowing your age, I wish you both would have waited, but you're going to be a mother!" She takes another glimpse at their round bellies, "Really soon! You're going to experience the joys of motherhood that I have experienced, along with many of the other lionesses here." With her paw, she gestures to the lionesses which congregate around them.

Some were talking with Alina- they're probably good friends of hers too. The pride looks fairly big from what Cala could see. Although, there's no signs of other young lions and lionesses that Alina promised.

"That reminds me…" Sarabi continues, "I think it's time you meet the king of the Pridelands."

Now Cala was excited. She's very curious to see who this mysterious king is. Sarabi asks one of the lionesses to call for him. The lioness dashes off and Cala busy herself by making conversation with the queen and the other lionesses who are interested in the newcomers.

The messenger lioness returns and Sarabi smiles.

"Ah, there's my handsome king! Cala, I'd like to introduce you to my mate."

Not knowing what was coming her way, Cala casually turn around to meet the king of this beautiful land but she was left gob smacked as she stared face to face with the lion she seen in her dreams.


End file.
